Please know that Father Phil, Deacon Dot, your wardens and your vestry would never make such a request. They will never ask for personal information, money, gift cards or anything else by email or on social media. Ignore any such request and, if possible, report it to your isp as a fraud/scam.
The email sent today looked like this:

I am not in the position to make a phone call at the moment as i am in a meeting and that is why i am contacting you via email. I will like you to help handle a personal matter. I would need you to help send send out couple of gift cards to a family member in school concerning her project.and i will need this handled immediately. Kindly let me know if you are available to run this task right now so i can advise the quantity and domination.  

This is an example of phishing, a scam technique using electronic media.

From Wikipedia:
Phishing is the fraudulent attempt to obtain sensitive information such as usernames, passwords and credit card details by disguising as a trustworthy entity in an electronic communication. Typically carried out by email spoofing or instant messaging, it often directs users to enter personal information at a fake website, the look and feel of which are identical to the legitimate site.

Phishing is an example of social engineering techniques being used to deceive users. Users are often lured by communications purporting to be from trusted parties such as social web sites, auction sites, banks, online payment processors or IT administrators.

For more information on phishing, you can start here > If we are going to live in an world full of technology and use it in our lives, we also need to educate ourselves on its misuse.
​
Faithfully,

"A shoot will spring forth from the stump of Jesse, and a branch out of his roots” Isaiah 11:1. Jesse was King David’s father. The image of a branch growing out of the roots of Jesse points to a new king in David’s line. We know that this is fulfilled in Jesus, the King of Kings, who is a descendant of Jesse.

During the Advent season, a symbolic Branch of Jesse will be decorating our Narthex. The Branch is a representation that connects God’s faithfulness through the Old Testament to the newness in the form of the birth of Jesus. Just as God gave us the gift of life through Jesus Christ, we will share this hope with others in our community through the giving of Christmas gifts.

This year the Giving Branch will hold tags for our friends at Freedom House (a half-way house for men) and their Family Afterward program, Good News Home (a drug/alcohol abuse treatment center for women), Anderson House (a half-way house for women), Cristo Rey, and a new organization, Binnacle House (a group home for boys ages 13-18). Each tag will contain information about the recipient such as gender, age, requests, sizes, and needs.

​The Giving Branch is now decorating our Narthex! There are enough tags on the branch so that each family may choose one or more, as they are able. There is a printed registry for each group on the table below the dove in the Narthex. After you choose your tags, please sign your name and phone number on the registries next to the tag numbers that you have chosen. We ask that you limit the amount you spend on each person to approximately $25 to make it equitable for all – givers and recipients. Additional instructions will be available when you take your tag(s). Please be sure to read and follow the instructions carefully.

​Please bring your gifts to the Narthex with the ORIGINAL TAG SECURELY ATTACHED by Sunday, December 9th to provide time for sorting, tracking down missing gifts and delivering them to their designated places. If you have any questions, please contact Deanne Altom at 908-534-3425 (deanne.altom@gmail.com) or Michelle Marlow at 908-884-6932 (michellekmarlow@gmail.com).

​Thank you for helping to make the holiday a bit happier for someone less fortunate!

Christmas flower envelopes for your donations towards Christmas flowers and greens for the “greening” of the church on December 23 will be available beginning November 18 on the table in the Narthex. Donations are due by December 16 to ensure the names of the people for whom the donation is being made are included in the Christmas bulletin. To submit your donation: 
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• On the envelope include your name and the name(s) for whom the donation is being made and whether it is a memorial or in thanksgiving. Please write clearly.
• Put your donation ($35 is suggested) in the envelope and place it in the collection plate on any Sunday, in the Altar Guild mailbox (in the hallway by the lower entrance) or return it to the office.

This program began in October 2015.  Students from local colleges in advanced music degrees in vocal and instrumental programs have been selected.
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Future programs will be announced here

December 16, 2018:   A Jazz Trio from Mason Gross School of Arts in New Brunswick will provide the music for the 10 am service. Members include Dave Mosko, Trombone, from Marlton, NJ; Ian Young, Bass, from North Brunswick, NJ; and Ilan Eisenzweig, Guitar, from Princeton, NJ.  Music to be determined.

November 25, 2018:  Abigail Kempson is from Wilton, Connecticut and studied voice (soprano) at Westminster Choir College in Princeton. She graduated in 2016 with a Master of Music in Vocal Performance and Pedagogy. She resides in Princeton.  She will sing “I will extol Thee, O Lord” from Eli by Michael Costa for the offertory and “I will sing unto the Lord a new song” from Judith by CHH Parry for the postlude for the 10 am service.

November 4, 2018: Pierre Lawrence is studying piano at Mason Gross School of Arts in New Brunswick. He led the congregation in singing the opening hymn "For all the Saints" in the jazz style.  He also played a jazz improvisation for the postlude.

October 21, 2018:   Sarah Ridddle is from West Virginia and studied voice (soprano) at Westminster Choir College in Princeton. She graduated in May 2017 with a masters degree and resides in Pennington.  She sang "Come unto Him, all ye that labor" from The Messiah by G.F. Handel for the offertory and “My Heart Ever Faithful” from the Pentecost Cantata by J.S. Bach for the postlude during the 10 am service.

April 15, 2018:  Sarah Riddle is from West Virginia and studied voice (soprano) at Westminster Choir College in Princeton. She graduated in May 2017 with a masters degree and resides in the Princeton area.

On April 15th she sang "I Know That my Redeemer Liveth"  (No. 45 Part III Messiah) by  G.F.Handel  for the offertory and "Hear ye, Israel" (aria from Elijah) by Felix Mendelssohn as the postlude.

January 14, 2018:   A Jazz Trio from Mason Gross School of Arts in New Brunswick provided the music during the 10 am service. Members included Dave Mosko, Trombone, from Marlton, NJ; Ian Young, Bass, from North Brunswick, NJ; and Ilan Eisenzweig, Guitar, from Princeton, NJ. They played We Three Kings by John Henry Hopkins, Jr. for the Offertory and Take Five by Dave Brubeck for the Postlude.

December 17, 2017:  Pierre Abdou is studying piano at Mason Gross School of Arts in New Brunswick. He performed Beethoven's Sonata Pathetique - Adagio Cantabile for one of the lessons and a jazz improvisation on a Christmas Carol for the postlude.

November 26, 2017:  Tyler Cesario is a tenor from National Park, New Jersey and graduated in the Music Ed Primary Program from Westminster Choir College, Princeton in May.  He will be performing from Saint-Saens' Oratoria de Noel "Domine, ego credidi" with the Senior Choir for the offertory.  For the postlude, he will sing from Felix Mendelssohn's ELIJAH the recitative "Ye people, rend your hearts" and the aria "If with all your hearts".

October 29, 2017 

​Peter Griggs guitar concert - There was no admission charge. This concert was offered as a part of the Jane Self Burnham Scholars Program. Mr. Griggs presented "500 Years Of Music For Guitar" from the Renaissance to the Contemporary, as well as Flamenco, Brazilian music, jazz, blues and several of his own compositions. There was something for listeners of all tastes on this wide-ranging program.  ​

​We will be collecting items through October 28th for the mariners who come through Port Elizabeth around Christmas.  The following items are welcome gifts to be added to the individual bags given to each mariner.   Toiletries, lip balm, facial tissues, microwave popcorn, chewing gum, new playing cards Sudoku or word search books.  Handmade Christmas cards are a very special addition.   There will be a box in the Narthex for all items.   If you like to knit or crochet, consider making a scarf or cap to keep away the cold winds at sea.  Please check https://seamenschurch.org/christmas-at-sea for suggestions/patterns or talk to June Flipski.  Prefer to sew?   Simple cloth ditty bags are also needed to hold each mariner’s items.  Directions by collection box, as these must all be the same.

If you enjoy our Sunday breakfasts, plan to attend!  Only one more month needs volunteers!

Whether you choose to serve a continental breakfast or an elaborate feast, your efforts will be appreciated.  It’s all about fellowship, not competition.  The sign-up sheet is in the Narthex with the following breakfast dates: ​

• Nov 4 - Stewardship Brunch - after both services
• Dec 2 - The Guys
• January - No breakfast
• Feb 3 - Youth Group
• Mar 31 - Jane Paradiso
• April - no breakfast
• May 5 -  ?? Volunteer needed!
• June - no breakfast

Carol Crawford-Jones, Coordinator -  carolcj@prolog.net.

Diocesan Youth "Rise Against Hunger" Lock In
Trinity Cathedral, Trenton
December 14-15
We will meet at CHS at 6:45 p.m. on Friday and return around 8:30 a.m. on Saturday.
Please contact Eli with any questions or to learn how to register.

Information from the diocesan website:
Friday, December 14-Saturday, December 15
8:00 pm-7:00 am at Trinity Cathedral, TrentonRegister Now
Rise Against Hunger is driven by the vision of a world without hunger. Our mission is to end hunger in our lifetime by providing food and life-changing aid to the world’s most vulnerable and creating a global commitment to mobilize the necessary resources.

Meal-packaging events are the heart of our work. We work with volunteers from corporations, faith congregations, schools, colleges and universities, and civic groups. Volunteers set up and take down packaging stations and equipment, fill bins with raw ingredients, scoop ingredients into meal bags, weigh and seal the bags, box and stack them on pallets, and load the pallets and equipment onto a truck.

Meal-packaging events are a great way to educate volunteers about global hunger and inspire them to get more involved in fighting it. The events also give volunteers hands-on experience in leadership development, team-building, relationship-building, creative problem-solving, and goal-setting and achievement.

We will begin our evening with the Eucharist, we will pack 30,000 meals, then have time to play games, watch a movie and get to know other youth from around the Diocese.

Ongoing...
Bible Study Tuesday evenings, 7:30 - 9 p.m.
St. Jonathan Room

Questions?  
Contact Eli Jones elijns2@aol.com  

​Deacon Dot will be holding a “prayer circle” after each service.  It is called a “prayer circle” because we will hold hands as we pray together. It will be a time to pray with others who are feeling a need for extra prayer.  We will meet in the alcove across from the organ.  Anyone interested is welcome to join us.  If you have any questions, please speak with Dot.

New Bible study for grades 6 - 12.    We will be meeting every Tuesday from 7:00 – 8:30 pm in the St. Jonathan Rm.  Please bring your favorite version of the Bible and something to write with (Bibles will be provided).   Any questions, contact
Eli (908) 399-7436.  Hope to see you there!